Undying Echo {1}

2 | Confused Gazes

Deafness.

How does it sound like? Or should I say how does it feel like?

The other day, Kaylee had said to me that it was like I was deaf for a second. It was just a second that I didn't hear what she was saying, and I felt lost.

If one second of deafness made me feel that way, then what could days, months, years, or maybe eternity of deafness make people feel.

I had no idea.

Getting out of the bathroom after washing my face and brushing my teeth, I dress in blue skinny jeans and a white blouse, before doing my hair in a high loose ponytail. Grabbing my bag and a jacket in case it got cold out, I began making my way downstairs then to the kitchen, to find Dad at the table with two plates of freshly made breakfast laying on the table with a cup of coffee beside Dad's plate, and a deliciously looking mug of green tea beside mine.

"Morning, Dad," I said, before going and taking the seat opposite from him.

"Morning muffin, sleep well?" He said.

"Yup" I chirped, before taking a sip from the steaming hot goodness, its taste filling all my senses, "you?"

"Not so good. Work is eating at your old man these days" he sighed, tiredly making me frown and look up at him and that's when I noticed the faint bags under his eyes, he looked paler.

"Why not take the day off? You could rest and sleep well and you'll be healthier than a horse by tomorrow morning. I could cook you something, you're always the one cooking, I can cook, you know" I said.

I hated seeing Dad tired, I sometimes felt like it was my fault, that I shouldn't have made him take care of everything, that I should have taken care of him better.

"I don't think so, Muffin," he said, with a shake of his head, before taking a sip from his coffee.

"Fine! Don't take a day off, but dinner is on me today and don't even try to say no" I said, grumbling a little at his refusal.

After we had finished having breakfast, we got up to leave and Dad drove me to school before he went to work. As a senior, I didn't have a car, but I was really okay with it and I liked taking the bus or just walk the distance, so I had no worries in the transportation department.

My future car could wait.

Meeting with Kaylee at lunch break, I wasn't surprised to see Ryan with her, he's been sitting with us once in a while since I moved here and the two siblings had quite a strong bond to be apart from each other for long periods of time, even though Kaylee insists on denying it every time I mention it. And apart from the difference between hair lengths and skin colors, Ryan's being a few shades tanner than hers, the two pretty much looked the same with their coconut wavy hair and honey brown eyes- minus the heights since Kaylee was pissed off that he was a foot taller than her when she was the older.

For me, I wouldn't have honestly cared whether my little brother was taller than me or not, the idea itself of having a brother too surreal for me to even think about, that was before I met Ryan, because now he had pretty much covered that category.

"So what did you do yesterday?" Kaylee asked as we sat on a bench in the courtyard.

"Nothing much" I shrugged, "just wandered around for a little".

"With who?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No one" I shrugged, before continuing quickly, "what did you do?"

"Is someone trying to point questions to change the subject?" She challenged, now with both eyebrows raised.

Ryan, making a noise for the first time since his arrival clicked his tongue, "oh I think there is" he said, smirking at me smugly, making me roll my eyes, "I'm not pointing questions or anything, I just wanted to know what you did since you were so worked up yesterday that you didn't tell me what were you doing".

"Nice try, Cam. But I'll give you that. You know I'm in the photography club?" She asked and I nodded, a signal for her to continue, "we kind of had a meeting and discussed the photography competition, the one I told you about before. And it turned out that we can't participate in groups, but each one on their own. So long story short, I'm screwed" she huffed.

"Way the pessimist, sis," Ryan said, making her groan and throw him a murmured 'shut up', making him chuckle.

"He's right, Kaylee. Quit the pessimism, you're good at photography and you know it, Ryan knows it, and everybody in the school knows it, you just have to put a little teeny tiny bit of faith in your abilities and you'll be okay, trust me" I said, looking her in the eyes so she would know that I was serious. Kaylee was pretty much the best photographer I had ever known, and what made her even better in it is her passion towards it, she had loved photography to the point of waking up at 4 in the morning just so she could snap a few pictures of the sunrise.

She just needed a little bit of encouragement and a push in the right direction.

"Cam," she said quietly, making me suddenly furrow my eyebrows in worry, "you know you're the best friester ever!" She said, jumping on me and wrapping her arms around my neck, crushing me in a hug.

I laughed, "Friester? What's that?"

"A mix of a friend and sister" she explained as she silently sobbed in my shoulder when there was a clear of a throat, a reminder that Ryan was still here.

"Hey! I thought I was your favorite sibling!" He whined, grabbing her shirt and pulling at it while pouting like a little kid whining at his mother to buy him some ice cream.

"Go away, I need a friester right now, not a friether" she said, whacking at his hand that was clinging to her shirt.

"Fine!" He huffed, crossing his arms like a kid who apparently didn't get his wanted ice cream.

Okay, ice cream has been invading my thoughts for a few minutes now, maybe I should go for a cone after school.

Feeling a pair of eyes watching me, I looked to the side, catching sight of a scowling Ethan with his piercing grey eyes staring right at me, making chills run down my spine.

Trying to ease the tension, I lift my hand up and waved weakly with a smile. His brows suddenly raise and he blinks, looking at me confusedly for a minute, before looking away.

Oh.

I felt my cheeks heat furiously as I realized that he hadn't been staring at me, but rather has been spaced out with his foresight happening to be in my direction.

Ahh...

"Why are you blushing?" Ryan asked suddenly and I looked at him wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights.

"She's not blushing, why would she be- you're blushing" Kaylee stated, studying me thoughtfully under her gaze.

"It's just too hot out here," I said weakly, knowing that I didn't seem convincing the least.

"Uh huh, right," Kaylee said, her eyes suspiciously narrowing at me, before eventually looking away and I had to sigh in relief. But that sigh was immediately followed by a groan when I locked eyes with Ryan and he gave me a knowing look, telling me he had seen the commotion just now.

Just great.